Chapter 368

After all, Sapphire rarely hoped for her like that, she thought, while also wondering why Sapphire hadn't come along.

The chaotic noise filled her ears again, causing Miyu to sigh deeply. After all, her body wasn't strong enough to break through the crowd, so she could only wait for the right opportunity. However, seeing so many shadows obscuring her, the girl felt that things wouldn't be easy at all.

But soon, Miyu suddenly thought:

... I didn't comb Luvia's hair today. She and Rin seem to be going to the beach a lot these past few days. I don't know what they're doing, but they look exhausted. As part of the exchange, I have to do it properly.

The more she thought about it, the more a sense of unease suddenly pierced her heart.

The deal between Miyu and Luvia was that Miyu would help her retrieve her Class Card, Luvia would arrange everything for her to live a normal life. Moreover, at home, Miyu dressed in a maid outfit, just like Rin Tohsaka, who worked for Luvia.

Perhaps it was some unease brought on by her thoughts that made her appear somewhat preoccupied despite her indifferent expression in the crowd. To outsiders, it seemed as if she was at a loss because of the crowded conditions. Just then, a figure walked out from the group of ' Lion-kun lined up side by side.

Compared to the Lion-kun, whose avatar clearly revealed an adult, this Lion-kun appeared to be a miniature version. Because he was followed by several other Lion-kun, the crowded people initially thought something was amiss, and thus allowed him to walk into the crowd.

"Who are you?"

Miyu muttered to herself as her hand was being held, but the Lion-kun, seemed to only glance at her before forcefully pulling her out of the crowded area. After reaching an empty seat nearby, he let go of Miyu's hand and turned to leave.

Regardless of whether a person knows Magecraft or not, being treated like this by a stranger would generally make them wary or afraid. However, for Miyu, she was surprisingly not afraid. In fact, for a moment, she felt a kind of static-like friction.

And so, in Miyu's jewel-like eyes, the departing Lion was reflected, with these words written in large characters on its back—

"The evil leader who invaded Fuyuki, Dr. Hell, Tiger King"

Looking at the 'special markings' that distinguished it from other Lion-kun, she observed it briefly but couldn't understand what it represented at all.

However, not long after, when she saw the Lion-kun grabbing the children or being defeated by the children using their 'flashy' moves from a distance, and when she saw the parents around her not confused by the situation but instead smiling as they witnessed this scene, Miyu instantly understood.

This is probably some kind of interactive event held by Animal Paradise to celebrate today's holiday.

Children often fantasize about being in a specific environment for various reasons, such as 'transforming into or piloting a giant Robot to fight against Monster or organizations that plunge the world into darkness and despair, thus protecting world peace', or 'suddenly becoming a tragic villain who hates the world after experiencing various misfortunes, or simply a villain who is just handsome'.

Of course, the former is more common in younger children, while the latter is more common in slightly older children. If there is any difference, it is probably the desire to perform. The latter is difficult to demonstrate in actual combat, while the former is often demonstrated in actual combat.

This made Ilya, who was secretly hiding in the bushes, holding a sapling to conceal her presence, extremely envious. She really wanted to go up and play like that without any restraint. It was so cool! If she could add the True Magic Girl Bushido Musashi, it would be even more Perfection!

"I really want to go play..."

"Childish."

Because the silver-haired girl's expression was so visibly envious, Chloe, who was standing next to Ilya, felt extremely embarrassed seeing her like this and couldn't accept that 'Ilya' would be like this.

Even if you say that, Kuro, I still want to play.

"Seriously, I'm speechless. You should probably watch less Magical Girl; the ancestors of the Einzbern Family would be so angry they'd rise from the dead if they saw you like this."

The two, who almost got into another fight at school, had their relationship improved a lot because of Ivia that day. The reason they were together now was simple: they had both seen the invitation letter that Miyu had given to Ivia, so the two who were on their way to check on things just happened to end up together.

As for Ruby, she seems to be entangled with Sapphire in some way, and it is thanks to Ruby's 'sacrifice' that Ilya was able to break free from Sapphire's entanglement.

"... hehe."

Ilya chuckled through gritted teeth, "Kuro, don't think I don't know you actually want to go up and play too."

"Who, who would want to play that? I stopped watching such childish activities ages ago. I'd rather die than watch or play them..."

At this point, Chloe waved her hand dismissively, "Of course, it's different if my brother is here. One thing is one thing, and the other is completely different."

"Ah! I knew it!"

In fact, the two arrived much earlier than Miyu, so they had already seen that Ivia, who should have been waiting at the entrance, was now wearing the Lion-kun's costume. It seemed that the Animal Paradise was short-staffed and wanted to select one of the children participating in the activity.

As a result, everyone was unhappy when they heard that he was the villain, and even the boss had no objections. So the staff randomly picked someone and, quite by chance, found Ivia sitting at the door to see if she could help them out.

At the time Ilya and Chloe made a bet, one betting not to participate and the other betting to participate. Ilya won. The reason she made the bet was because of the time Ivia waved her True Magic in front of so many people at the Theater, which left a deep impression on her. At the same time, Ilya discovered that Chloe seemed unaware of the reason for this... Although she didn't quite understand, Ilya was still quite happy at that moment.

This is because it indicates that this is a very valuable and exclusive experience.

Her animated gestures at that moment puzzled Chloe, who wondered, "Is it really necessary to be so happy about winning a bet where nothing is being wagered?" But if viewed from another perspective, Chloe might also feel happy, after all, her unique experience was that night was "so cute."

Focusing the view from inside a cabin of the Heavenly Wheel in the Animal Paradise, Luce looked down and sighed.

"Everyone, assemble!"

Upon hearing this from the highest-ranking official from the Church headquarters, Caren glanced at her furtively.

Since meeting Luce yesterday, Caren couldn't help but feel a bit confused about her. She only glanced at the information that should have been checked, and instead asked Karen more questions about 'Ivia'. At first, Caren thought it was like the Einzbern Family brat, but as they talked, she realized it was a completely different kind of affection... more like familial love.

"By the way, are you related to him?"

"Really? I'm quite pleased that Caren would say that."

Luce smiled genuinely.

In fact, she never hid her joy when talking to Caren about Ivia, though it was unclear what she was so happy about.

"By the way, I've finished checking on Fuyuki. You'll be going to other regions and countries soon, right?"

"Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sad."

Luce answered dejectedly, his Walking Stick twirling gently in his hand.

Even though the current crackdown is progressing relatively smoothly, human Desire remain a challenge, and nothing can be achieved overnight.

"Oh? Could something have happened?"

Caren stood up. "You have to think of it this way: these people have absolutely nothing to do with you. Helping them is a favor, not your duty. Your responsibility is to check on them, so there's no need to feel bad about it. Humans are all useless pigs."

Caren's statement was probably intended to imply that Church members in other areas had done something that Luce found unacceptable.

"Of course, but the Crowd here is actually a good person."

"Really? That's good—they're all good people?"

Caren was puzzled as to why she received that answer.

Perhaps this is what she, living in such a privileged environment, thinks. But with such power, she shouldn't be blind to it; rather, she should have witnessed it since childhood—the struggle for Desire, the exchange of interests, and so on, Caren thought.

After all, in the renowned Church orphanages, besides the adopted children, there were also quite a few illegitimate children of Cardinal.

"Yes, because that's what my father hoped for, so I try my best to hope for that too, even though such a hope is probably painful. But the reality I've seen isn't so terrible; it's all possible."

These words touched Caren's thoughts and feelings.

Realizing that Luce's mud-covered shoes were not intentional decoration, but truly proof of her 'arduous and long journey'.

"Father?"

"Um."

"Because we have always been a 'community,' and the 'community' of the Holy Church is established for every one of its members, and for all those in the world who are suffering, unfortunate, or lost about the Future; it was founded solely for humanity."

For the first time, the Blue-Haired Girl smiled shyly, a smile that seemed both familiar and genuinely innocent.

"That's what my father hoped for."

This statement was perfectly clear to Caren, as it was a declaration made at the First Ecumenical Council, the words of Novia, the founder of the Church. Therefore, she unconsciously repeated the same words.

"Hope..."

So that's how it is. So Luce considered the past Novia as his 'father'.

Caren thought to herself.

Sitting in the sunny Animal Paradise, Miyu remained silent, observing everything around her from the bustling crowd, while also listening to the children's innocent words of "Protect the world!"

She gives the impression that she has been practicing Ascetics in the mountains for a long time and rarely comes to the City.

Time ticked by, and eventually the event seemed to be coming to an end; at least Miyu saw the Lion-kun dispersing.

Then, by chance, Miyu saw a pair of children holding hands pass by her and overheard their conversation.

"If it weren't for you, brother, I wouldn't have wanted to come and play at all."

The boy probably didn't know how to answer, so he could only nod in agreement.

This is normal. After all, only boys are interested in hero games at a young age; girls are still quite rare. And even if they want to play with their families, most of the time they are just acting as hostages, with acquaintances saving or invading the world before sunset.

"By the way, brother, let me tell you, when Lion-kun took me hostage just now, I was a little scared."

The older brother, probably unaware of the reason for his sister's words, thought that compared to their usual games, Lion-kun from the Animal Paradise was quite the actor, very convincing in his role. He would laugh wickedly at an impressive volume, accompanied by monologues that were exactly like those of villains on TV. As the leader, Little Lion-kun certainly looked like a villainous leader, since he hadn't said a word.

So after thinking about it this way, the boy understood that his sister must have been very scared, frightened by the villainous organization's utterly wicked words and voices.

"But only a little."

The girl's hands trembled slightly as she spoke.

"But because my brother is here, I'm not afraid."

"... What?"

The boy smiled at his sister, "So you're not afraid after all?"

Then he remembered that Little Lion-kun hadn't been silent the whole time. When he saw his sister being taken away, he panicked, and at that moment, a voice came from inside the suit.

"You, and all of you, have to win."

The simple, brief sentence uttered by the 'villain leader' Little Lion-kun seemed to carry more weight and determination than anything else.

The two siblings gradually departed, and the surrounding environment slowly changed with the passage of time.

Miyu didn't know what to do, so she sat there quietly like a doll, waiting.

Then raindrops began to fall from the still-blue sky, causing Miyu to instinctively look up. She wasn't particularly confused, since the weather forecast had indeed predicted rain. However, as she stood up, thinking she should take Miyu first, her eyes narrowed instantly, as if she were caught in some kind of disbelief.

She only just realized that the Pendant hanging around her neck was missing.

And so, in this indistinct drizzle, a Sun shower that quietly drifted down from the clear sky, the girl in her raincoat began her search, staring blankly around, turning her neck slightly, as if groping for the path that had become a small puddle with her eyes.

Since the Sapphire wasn't with her, she couldn't use that power to search for it. Even when she spoke to the staff, she only received perfunctory replies like, "We understand, you can go back now."

Before she knew it, Miyu's raincoat was covered with tiny silver water droplets, as if it were covered with a layer of frost. She quietly walked along the original path, searching.

The fine, powdery drizzle continued to fall quietly. Soon after, she looked up and saw a world, wet with rain, stretching endlessly outwards in the misty rain. Even though the sky was still blue, it felt somewhat heavy.

Some people along the way saw Miyu and advised her not to walk in the rain, but the girl ignored them. Finally, like an exhausted traveler, she sat down on a log by the bridge where it was still raining, looking lost and dejected.

We cannot give up; that is extremely important...

Miyu was just a little tired; she hadn't really given up, even though it was remnants of the past, she didn't want to discard it.

"Alright, continue..."

The Black-Haired Girl looked up and her eyes widened immediately as she saw a hand reaching out from under the bridge.

Immediately afterwards, a Lion-kun, completely soaked, jumped up from below. After patting himself off, he looked at Miyu, who had also appeared in his sight, and then threw what he was holding high into the air.

Even in the misty rain, the tiny Jade still traced a beautiful parabola.

The endpoint of the parabola--

It was Miyu Satsuki's outstretched right hand.

She caught the thing that would have fallen to the ground if ignored, something she had lost in the crowd.

Therefore, the girl remained silent for a while, then quietly walked up to Little Lion-kun. At first, she reached out as if to remove the headgear, but stopped just before touching it. Then she threw the Jade in her hand down in front of him and left a message.

"You think this creates a great atmosphere? It's perfect for having fun like this, but even so, we'll quickly become strangers again."

Miyu's eyes were like those of a puppet, completely devoid of emotion.

Knowing that doing this might mean never having the chance to reconnect, I still did it anyway.

This scene greatly surprised Ilya, who was secretly observing from the side. She hadn't expected Miyu to say such a thing. She almost ran out in a hurry, but Chloe held her back.

"Maybe we shouldn't go out."

"This is really strange, Miyu..."

"I don't care anymore, I'll always stay by my brother's side."

Although it was obvious at a glance that Ivia Miyu had some unknown past, Chloe firmly stood by Ivia's side. Moreover, she could tell that Ivia hadn't used her powers at all today, so she felt sorry for her as she braved the rain to find things for Miyu.

"Um, I--"

Ilya wanted to protest loudly, saying she wanted Miyu and Ivia to get back together, but Chloe's powerful eyes wouldn't allow her to refuse.

Even so, the silver-haired girl continued to murmur softly.

"If Ivia He really did something wrong, I'll apologize with him..."

On the other hand.

After saying that, Miyu lowered her head and stared at the ground, while Little Lion-kun remained staring straight ahead. Although the two were sitting on the same bridge, it was as if they were driving in opposite lanes.